Latergrams - Week 19

Snoochie boochies! Another #carpcrack addict. #carponthefly #carppro #flyfishing #roughfish #flyfarming #artisanflies

A photo posted by Jean-Paul Lipton (@roughfisher) on Apr 27, 2015 at 8:00pm PDT

Pucker up buttercup #suckerlove #flyfishing #roughfish #whitesucker

A photo posted by Jean-Paul Lipton (@roughfisher) on Apr 28, 2015 at 7:58am PDT

It's Fly Tyer Friday. Here's a shout out to all the fly artists out there who make our sport great! Your imagination and innovation behind the vise keeps fly fishing fun and fresh. Keep supporting those artisan fly tyers and buy their flies! Who are your favorite fly tyers? Who do you think are redefining our sport through their craft? Tag away! #flytying #flyfarming #flyfishing #artisanflies

A photo posted by Jean-Paul Lipton (@roughfisher) on May 1, 2015 at 8:25am PDT

CARPICIDE 2014

CarpPro and Isthmus Flyfishing are teaming up to put on Carpicide 2014; a catch and release flyfishing for carp event in Minneapolis on June 21st. Each participant will receive a hat and prizes including a One-of-a-kind Helios 2, a TFO rod or flyfishing art donated by local artists. All proceeds benefit the local chapter of Trout Unlimited.

The festivities kick off Friday night at Mend Provisions in South Minneapolis with free beer, a presentation on carp flyfishing and general socializing. Saturday participants will fish all day on any water in the metro area followed by an awards ceremony and party to follow.

Register online at http://isthmusflyfishing.com/ or in person Friday evening at Mend.

2014 Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo

Only a few days left until the 2014 Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo. Check out the vendors and catch a few of the featured speakers, including presentations from master fly tyer Skip Morris, Brian Bergeson of Musky Bacon fame, artist Bob White, Dan Frasier of CarpPro, and myself, to name just a few. Plenty of new gear to check out, especially exciting is Scientific Anglers new Sharkwave line. SA will be demonstrating this line at the show! Don't forget to stop by many of the fly tying tables where myself and others like the St. Paul Fly Tiers will be demonstrating fly tying for the public. If anything, don't pass up the chance to reconnect with friends, share your fish stories from the past season and help us all get through this long winter. See you there! Details below:

2014 Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo
Admission
Adult: $10/day
Youth (ages 12-17): $7/day
Children under 12 are free

Hours
February 21, 2014: 3:00-8:00 pm
February 22, 2014: 10:00 am-6:00 pm
February 23, 2014: 10:00 am-4:00 pm

Location
National Sports Center
1700 105th Ave. NE
Blaine, MN 55449

Directions/Map
From the Twin Cities area, take 35W North to Highway 10 West to Hwy 65
North to 105th Ave. NE.
Turn right onto 105th Ave. NE
Turn right at entrance past the brick marquee.
The Schwan Center is straight ahead.
Parking is located in front of the building.

View Larger Map

2013 Instagram Highlights

Carpicide 2014 - Twin Cities, Minnesota

Announcing Carpicide 2014, hosted in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, June 20th through 21st, 2014. Details are still being finalized at this point, with more events and info to follow. Here is what the fellows at Isthmus Fly Fishing, co sponsors of the event along with CarpPro, have to say so far:

What: Carp Fly Fishing Tournament to benefit Trout Unlimited
Where? Lake Hiawatha, Lake Nokomis, Lake Harriet, Lake Calhoun, Lake of the Isles, Cedar Lake, The Mississippi River from 8th Ave down to the 35E bridge and Minnehaha Creek. Any small ponds, tributaries, drainage ditches and other carp holding water within site of these bodies of water are also fair game.
Event Schedule:
June 20th, 7pm – Kickoff meeting – TBD
Registration and payment can be made at the kickoff, or before the start of the tournament on Saturday morning at 8am. There will be a presentation by Dan Frasier of CarpPro magazine and also a talk by Trout Unlimited on Friday night.
June 21st, 8am – Tournament Start. Anglers MUST be present at Lake Hiawatha Beach on Saturday morning in order to get their numbers and tournament packets.
June 21st 6pm – Tournament Ends. Anglers must be present at the Hexagon Bar at 6pm sharp in order for their fish to be included.
General Info:
Cost per participant is $25 (pay on Friday Night or Saturday morning, all proceeds go to Trout Unlimited)
Fly Fishing Only!
Every man, woman, and child for themselves!
Barbless Hooks Only
Boats are permitted
Each angler will get a number in their tournament packets on Saturday morning. When a fish is landed, the angler must take a picture of the fish with the number present in the picture, measure and weigh the fish.
Anglers must provide their own digital camera and scale. If a scale is not available a tape measure of the length and girth of the fish must be taken to estimate the weight of the fish.
These rules and regulations were developed very hastily and may change by June 21st 2014.
Please call Jared @ 608-335-8837 with questions.

I will be there, will you?

Fly Tyer Winter 2013

"Check out the "12 Dependable Carp Flies" article by Peter Elkins in the Winter 2013 Issue of Fly Tyer for a glimpse of some #carpcrack in print. #carpfood #carppro #flytying #artisanflies"

Happy Thanksgiving

view full image

"While we're all feasting on turkey tomorrow, just think, carp could be feasting on this! #carpfood #carponthefly #carppro #turkeyday #flytying "

CarpPro Issue 5

CarpPro magazine Issue 5 is live. As always, plenty of great carpy info to read and get caught up on what's happening across the country in the carp scene. Plenty of tourney action recapped in Issue 5. If you can't wait, turn to page 113 for my feature on tactical fly fishing.

Carp Camp 2013 Beaver Island, MI: The Results

I'm not gonna lie, the fishing during Carp Camp was tough. Extremely tough. Like dragging a fly across a carp's nose without a reaction tough. Make no mistake, we had plenty of shots at fish, and as far as numbers go, I was happy with the amount of fish we saw for the time of year. But the fish were off and not interested in taking flies. Frustrating.



We all managed to catch some fish, and most importantly carp. Unlike the TFM trip, there were more than two carp caught total. Everyone at Carp Camp tallied at least two carp a piece, with a couple fish breaking twenty pounds. I was lucky enough to capture the big fish of the trip with a twenty-three pound post-spawn carp. If that fish had been holding eggs it definitely would have broken the thirty pound mark.




I was sweating bullets most of the trip. I was lucky to brush off the carp skunk on Day Two, but I was haunted by the lack of takes. I'm not gonna sit here and bullshit you into thinking that I was Mr. Perfect out on the flats. I'm not. I'm an average angler from my perception and feel that my only advantage is from intuitiveness and adaptation rather than pure skill and raw talent. But I was throwing down some pretty solid casts and had flawless presentations on a few. There was something more to it than just being at the right place at the right time. These fish were off, and after four solid days of fishing (and two weeks of guiding by Indigo) it was apparent that these fish were just plain stuffed. They couldn't fit another bite into their corpulent little mouths after gorging on hex and drake mayflies. It was like the equivalent of going to a Vegas all you can eat buffet after staying up all night eating cheesy poofs and bonbons, swilling them down with coke and mountain dew. These fish were full. They were in a food coma. Some of them were seemingly punch drunk, not even flinching as we're bouncing lead eyed flies right off their mustached mouths. It wasn't until I lobbed a heavy sculpin pattern out in front of a pod of carp where I saw a healthy sized fish take the leap of faith and lunge forward a couple feet to swoop down and suck in that fly. Not only did I get the approach, the presentation, and the visual of the hook up, but it was a plus twenty fish. I got the fish. Just as I was about ready to write off Beaver Island, this carp comes in and saves the trip on the last full day at Carp Camp.


Redemption.

3 Rivers Carp Cup August 17, 2013

Don’t miss out on the fun, the bragging rights, the great prizes, and the chance to hook the biggest, ugliest fish you’ve ever caught on the fly at the 3 Rivers Carp Cup in Knoxville, TN.

This year’s 3 Rivers Carp Cup (3RCC) is to be held on Saturday, August 17th on the French Broad, Holston,
and Tennessee Rivers located throughout the greater Knoxville area. The 3 Rivers Carp Cup is a one day
fly fishing only tournament to benefit the Legacy Parks Foundation.
Legacy Parks Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization which works to assure that our community
enjoys exceptional recreational opportunities, natural beauty and open spaces, and that those assets
exist for generations to come. One of the primary areas of focus of Legacy Parks is to maintain the health
of and access to our local waterways.

Knoxville's history and growth is tied to our waterways and our rivers continue to define much of our
region. The 3RCC is a fundraiser to support the continued development of recreational opportunities
along the Holston and French Broad Rivers located below Cherokee and Douglas Dams respectively. At
present, access along the French Broad Blueway is adequate but incomplete while public access along
the Holston River is extremely limited and as a result this unique outdoor asset is currently underutilized
by a variety of users. All proceeds from the 3 Rivers Carp Cup will go to support increased access
opportunities on both rivers for a variety of users including fishermen, recreational paddlers, and wildlife
enthusiasts.

The 3RCC allows anglers to fish for the elusive carp along some of East Tennessee’s most scenic
waterways. The carp may be the most difficult fish to take on a fly and provides real challenges to the fly
angler. Last year’s tournament saw 44 anglers from all over the United States chasing carp in support of
the Legacy Parks Foundation. The momentum and enthusiasm for the 3 Rivers Carp Cup is building and
we expect to have an even larger contention this year with participation from as far away as France.

• Registration Fee: $50 (includes an official Carp Cup fishing shirt, drinks, and hors d’oevres.
• Dates: Meet and Greet: August 16, 2013 6-8pm. Tournament: August 17, 2013, 8am-6pm.
• For more information visit 3riverscarpcup.com
• To register call Allen Gillespie (3RCC Tournament Director) at 865-200-5271
or email: allen@3riversangler.com.

Carp Camp 2013 Beaver Island, MI: The Delivery

Getting rigged up proper for Beaver Island can be a challenge to the average freshwater angler. Unless you fish the salt, much of the gear you have for Great Lakes carp is probably under powered for the task at hand. My last visit out to the island, I got spooled by an ornery young buck carp in the midst of the spawn. All 200 yards of my backing was out for the world to see and I didn't have anything to show for it. That was when I was fishing a Ross F1 #4, mated with a Ross RX 9 weight. This time around, I brought in the big guns, putting aside my Ross Momentum for the F1 #5. I spooled up that badboy with 300 yards of backing and a Scientific Anglers Grand Slam textured taper flyline, designed by Bruce Chard. There is no way I was gonna get spooled this time! While I sat at the house rigging up my rods and reels, I had discovered on Facebook that Chard's Gland Slam taper I just spooled up had just won the Best Saltwater Fly Line award at IFTD earlier that day. Yahtzee!



Fly selection for carp is different on Lake Michigan than anywhere else. Think big. I always bring my kit with me when traveling to fish. It is most unwise to show up at a joint unprepared. Even with research, fly selection can change like the wind and the hell if I'm gonna get caught with my pants down. Bringing my tying kit with allows me to match the current forage, see what kind of flies the guides are fishing and tying, and also provides for some entertainment during our downtime at the house. This go round, the guides were downsizing a bit, so the big beefy, burly stuff that I had tied and brought with were probably gonna be a bit super sized for this trip. See? I would have been screwed if I didn't bring my kit. I ended up tying up some large swimming nymphs as an insurance policy, in efforts to mimic the hex mayfly nymphs that were abundantly present. And it would eventually pay off.


Water temps were pushing seventy degrees near shore. That, coupled with boat time casting from the front deck, meant that it was time for wet wading. I left the waders at the house and geared up in my flats boots, neoprene booties/gaiters, and my Mountain Khaki Granite Creek pants. I've exclusively worn these MK pants when fishing for the last three years now. Not only are they comfortable and quick drying, but the SPF 50 rated material is key to keep my legs from getting burned. Some folks like to sport shorts, not I. I like pants not only for the UV protection, but from shore hazards like stinging nettles, thorns, and stinging insects. I donned my CarpPro MK Granite Creek Windshirt for an upper. This was a wise decision. I wasn't concerned with my core temp from the winds since air temps were ranging from the low 60s in the morning to mid 70s in the afternoon, so the wind proof aspect of the shirt was a crucial advantage to me on this outing. On the boat rides in and out, however, this shirt kept me dry from all the surf spray. Unlike the other campers who had to don jackets in order to stay dry, I was able maintain preparedness without having to change clothes and still maintain my level of comfort. Winning.


I was definitely equipped with the right gear; so how'd I do? Find out soon when Part 3 concludes the Carp Camp recap.

Carp Camp 2013 Beaver Island, MI: The Setup

The two hour ferry ride over to Beaver Island from Charlevoix is always a pleasant experience. It gives me an opportunity to clear my head, anticipate my arrival, as well as get myself into the right frame of mind and acclimate myself to island time. Beaver Island Boat Company provides the ferry service, and just a week or so prior to my arrival, word of a failed port engine on the Emerald Isle posted on Facebook, putting she ship out of service indefinitely. The Emerald Isle is BIBCO's flagship boat, the bigger, younger ship in the company's fleet. Service was to resume on the Beaver Islander, a ship I've yet had the pleasure of cruising on. The ferry ride over was nochalant, with little difference between the two ships apart from capacity and vending options, a true testament to the professionalism of BIBCO and their staff. Upon our entrance to St James harbor on the island, we were surprisingly greeted by a biplane, cruising around the island at a low altitude. The familiar sights of the harbor and the bright red roof of the Central Michigan University boathouse brought back pleasant memories of my last visit to the island. It was like visiting an old friend.



Upon arrival, we made our way off the dock and over to the Fisherman's House where we were to make home for the next five nights. I had caught wind of the terrible conditions that plagued Cameron's TFM hosted trip. A few of the guests from TFM's trip stayed back a bit longer and fished an unscheduled day in hopes of breaking the funk now that the weather had cleared up considerably. After meeting and chatting with a few of the carryover guests, I walked over and met Cameron at the boat landing as he was coming in on Kevin's boat. A fine day on the water, but no carp. Hard to believe that between threes boats, six anglers, and four days out, only two carp were landed. Brutal. Although brief, it was nice to chat and catch up with Cameron before he headed off to the air strip to catch his flight out.


I made my way back to the house and unpacked, settling in before all of the campers arrived. There were many thoughts running through my head, wondering about how the fishing was going to be over the next several days. We were slated to have a nice stretch of stable weather, though we were unsure how long it would hold out past three days. Conditions were certainly better than for the TFM group, but was weather the only factor at play regarding the tough carp bite? Photos of hex and large drake mayflies started popping up on social media a few weeks prior to Carp Camp. Hex popping around the end of June/early July was common so there wasn't much cause for alarm. On the boat ride over, the ship was covered with hex spinners, still wasn't worried. As I sat down to a grilled dinner with the campers, we chatted and speculated throughout the evening of what was to come of the fishing. Much anticipation.


Day one started with a great breakfast courtesy of the Dalwhinnie. We met up with the Indigo guides and constructed a game plan for the day. We were going to follow the wind and the warm water, fishing the windward sides of the islands and the cups and bays that would catch and hold the warm surface water as it blew in to shore. I had my fly selection picked out and my rods rigged and ready. We grabbed our lunches from the deli, and I saddled up with Sweet Chili Martinez for my first day. We launched the boat and made our way out of the harbor, headed to the west. What we would find when we got to the flats we did not know. The plan was to fish from the boat as much as possible, allowing us to sneak up to the fish as close as we could. This isn't always the easiest tactic. Drifting boats, the wind, weary, deep carp changing course as you cast to them, and water currents, this can all be a challenge. At one point I had done a complete 360 from a fish I was targetting from when I had started my backcast to when the fly was delivered. Disorienting to say the least.



Over the following four days we covered a lot of water and saw a lot of fish. We all hauled a lot of line, got our boots wet, and casted plenty of flies. Sometimes we found ourselves in a complete cluster of tangled line and knotted leader, other times, in a perfect zen like trance of enlightenment, fishing to a pod of fish circling in a pool of bathroom temp water. I would be hard pressed to say that we didn't fish hard. We were thorough. We were complete. We had brought our A game.


To see how the fishing went, stay tuned for Parts Two and Three.

CarpPro Issue 4

Issue 4 of CarpPro magazine went live while I was on Beaver Island. Peruse it if you haven't already.

Who says carp live in ugly places?

Whoever said carp live in ugly places is full of shit.


Full report of Carp Camp 2013 on Beaver Island to come.

Departure: RFX > CVX > SJX

The meat train has left the building.


Departing The Roughfisher Command Post (RFX) for Charlevoix, MI (CVX) then St James, Beaver Island (SJX).
ETA St James Harbor 1030 07/11/2013


Recent word from Indigo Guide Service is that the pigs have arrived, with plenty of 30# class fish being caught and landed. Even more impressive are the post spawn females weighing in at over thirty pounds.

Let Carp Camp 2013 Commence.

chum bucket

The carp of Beaver Island and Lake Michigan are unlike any other, they prefer meat and plenty of it. Out on the expansive flats of BI, I want to use any advantage I can get to help separate my fly from the abundantly plentiful round gobies and sculpins that the carp feed on. I tied up the Chum Bucket utilizing materials exhibiting visibility in the ultraviolet spectrum. UV visibility always adds an edge in cloudy weather, deeper water, or low light conditions. Even in bright sunlight, UV visibility can make your fly stand out on the flats.


When looking for UV materials to tie with, don't just go by the labels on the materials. Just because an item is marked UV doesn't mean it will show up in the UV spectrum. Sometimes it just gives off a purple UV like appearance instead of actual UV luminescence. Do yourself a favor and pick up a small UV light. I have a keychain sized UV light from Loon that was originally designed to cure their UV epoxies, adhesives, and paints, but now serves as a compact useful tool to bring along to fly shops and craft stores to help identify UV products.

Toss out the Chum Bucket and see what follows.

articulation

articulation [ahr-tik-yuh-ley-shuhn]

From Old French articulacion, from Medieval Latin articulatio

Noun: articulation (plural articulations)
A joint or the collection of joints at which something is articulated, or hinged, for bending.


Who's fishing articulated flies to carp? That's what I thought. Some fodder for the apex predators of Beaver Island.

Fly Fishing for Roughfish on the Ottertail River

Join me and Doug Harthan of Front 20 Outfitters, LLC to learn some of the finer points of Fly Fishing the Ottertail River. We are offering a guided fly fishing trip on July 26 for 6 anglers. We will be fishing the Ottertail River for rough fish and anything else that may come our way. That is a great opportunity and price for an opportunity to learn some techniques for fishing for our abundant rough fish, these fish are great fun on a fly rod and challenging as well. The Ottertail River is a great fishery and is definitely underutilized by fly anglers. Don't miss out, give Doug a call or email or use the contact form to reserve your spot! We have 6 spots and the cost is only $50.00 per angler for a day of fishing & learning.

Cost: $50.00 per Angler
Date(s): July 26, 2013

Orvis presents Carp Central

The secret is out, Orvis loves carp!

Well maybe it's not such a secret anymore, but it is true, Orvis gets it when it comes to fishing for carp on the fly. And now they want to help you get it too, with the help of CarpPro and their Pro Staffers Carp on the Fly, Fly-Carpin, Mr. P, and many others. Carp Central is full of instructionals and how-to's when it comes to carp on the fly. Check out what The Orvis Company has been doing with carp. This is a great site to lean on, it's definitely worth the look folks.

The Midnight Meat Train

Some meaty morsels for Beaver Island. I have a feeling that the carp of Lake Michigan will enjoy feasting on these slabs of meat. Pass the bbq and hot sauce.




Still some room left for Carp Camp on Beaver Island. Rock Bottom Pricing: $1300 (Referral deal not eligible). Visit the Carp Camp page and use the contact form to book. Hard to believe it's only a couple weeks away.